Milwaukee Archdiocese ordains six into the priesthood

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will ordain six men to the priesthood in a special Mass at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson St., bringing to almost 50 the number of priests to graduate from its St. Francis de Sales Seminary over the last decade.

The Mass is expected to draw more than 1,000 well-wishers from around the nation and around the world. In keeping with national statistics on newly ordained priests, the seminarians include three who are foreign-born — one from Colombia and two from Kenya — and three who grew up in the Milwaukee area. They range in age from 26 to 39. Two have studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

St. Francis Rector the Rev. John Hemsing called the 2014 class "wonderful guys."

Founded in 1845, St. Francis de Sales had at its height 500 students in high school, college and seminary programs. Ordinations in the 1950s featured often 50 or more priests. Those numbers dropped dramatically over years but began picking up again in 2000. In 2009, the archdiocese ordained six seminarians, it's largest class in 17 years. Today, Hemsing said, the seminary has 29 students, but ordinations continue to fluctuate.

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